Radiant panel heating and and air distributing structure



Dec. 15, 1953 A. T. JORN ETAL 2,6 ,7

RADIANT PANEL HEATING AND AIR DISTRIBUTING STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 12, 1949 [nz/enZZns;

CZZfierZZZZ/Zrm CZZer JrmJE: @y s M M Patented Dec. 15, 1953 RADIANT PANEL HEATING AND AIR DISTRIBUTING STRUCTURE Albert 'r. Jorn and Albert Jorn, Jr., Grayslake, l' 111., assignors to-Burgess-Manning Company, Libertyville, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application October 12, 1949, Serial uaizobsz 2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to heating and ventilating systems for enclosures, including panel heating or what is more popularly known as radiant heating. More particularly, the invention pertains to improvements in the structural elements of suspended ceilings which provide the means for the heating of rooms by radiation and may, .at the same time, provide the means for distributing ventilating air introduced into the room.

Sheet metal has long been used as an exposed surface element of ceilings and walls. In some instances, as, for example, in the suspended ceiling sound absorbing constructions shown in Nor- -ris Patent No. 1,726,500, the sheet metal panel elements are applied in the form of pans having broad surface areas and flanges which serve as .stifiening and supporting means for the pans.

The exposed face areas of such pans are per- .forated when used as part of an acoustical treatment. The pans are supported by fabricated sheet metal furring strips having resilient legs which engage the flanges of the pans and are, in turn, supported by suitable means from the principal -Cellll'lg or wall structure.

passageways through the ceiling throughout substantially the entire area thereof, this structure then furnishing a means whereby ventilating air introduced into the space between the suspended ceiling and the slab or principal ceiling structure above may be continuously supplied to the room at low. velocity. For this purpose, the several pans may be slightly spaced apart or provision may be made for the restricted passage of the air through the perforations of. the pans where .such pans are used as a combined heating, air diszstributing, and acoustic structure.

One obiect of the present invention is to pro- ;vide a suspended ceiling type of panel heating system wherein a standard form of sheet metal .-,Cill1'lg pan readily available on the market may be 2 cost of installation labor made possible by the design and arrangement of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined panel heating andair distributing ceiling structurewherein positive means are provided for spacing the ceiling pans to provide restricted passage for the flow of air into the space below the ceiling. A further object is to provide a clip which securely supports the pans form the hot water pipes and, at the same time, emciently conducts heat from the pipes to the pans. A still further object is to provide ceiling pans which incorporate positive means for spacing adajacent pans apart.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional viewof a suspended ceiling A panel heating structure embodying the invenemployed as the radiating element. A comple- I by reason of the standardization of partsof which the ceiling structure is constructed and the low tion;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of'an individual pan in the ceiling;

Fig. 3 is adetailed sectional view taken at the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clip employed in the construction of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the exposed ceiling surface which serves as the radiating source of heat for the enclosure or space below the ceiling is composed of sheet metal pans I having broad panel faces 2 and flanges 3 and 4. A bead 5 is impressed inwardly in each of the opposed flanges 3 of each pan, this head preferably extending the full length of the flange. The bead used is parallel to the edge of the flange and is located I between the edge of the flange and the juncture of the flange with the face of the pan. Bevels 6 are customarily formed at the peripheries of the pan pan to space the pans apart uniformly throughout the ceiling structure. Provision may readily be made in the tools now in use in th fabrication of standard pans for pressing out the dimples 8, or these protuberances may be provided as a separate step in the fabrication of the pans. The dimples should be located far enough from the 3 face of the pan to be invisible in the finished celling and the dimples in opposed flanges 4 should not be in line as it is intended that they make contact with the flanges of adjoining pans and not the dimples therein.

It will, be understood also, that it is not necessary to provide the dimples on both flanges, one set being adequate to space the pans of the successive courses of pans which comprise the cell, ing surface.

A series of spaced parallel hot waterpipes, 9. are. connected to header l and suspended from the supporting ceiling structure U. The particular arrangement of pipes and headers employed will depend upon the size and shape of'the ceiling surface. If the span is not tpq great, a supply header may be installed along one edge of the ceiling supported, for example, by hangers I la,-

and the return header may be located along the opposite. sideof the ceiling; The hot water pipes may be connected in leriesprathar than in par.- allel, if desired, the particular arrangement of the hot water connections being no part of the present invention. It is necessary: only that the pipes S be horizontal, parallel, and accurately spaced apart to form a gridwork for the support of the pans.

In order toproperly carry out the purposes of the invention. it is necessary not only to securely support pans I. from pip s 0. but also toprovide an eflicient heat bridge between pipe and pan for the conduction of heat to the; radiating surfaces. Clips '2 are employed for these purposes, Aswill be apparent as the description proceeds, this clip serves the third function of spacing the two panels which are supported; inpart, by a pantie.- ular clip. Each clip l2 has a hook-like uppep por-- tion I 3 and a pair of resilient legs. l4 welded or otherwise intimately fastened to a tongue l5 as close as possible to thejuneture of the latter with the hook l3. Tongue II which-- is anintegral part of thehoolr-likeportlon- We! the clip, being formed from the same piece a! sheet metal, extendedownwardly legs M and ispreferably somewhat longer than the legs themselves fer the more convenient insertion of thepan flanges during assemblyof the auspended ceiling structure. The upper portion of the-clip is cylindrical to conform with the surface of pipe sand legs H- are grooved at l6 to conform their inner surfaces withthe engaging surfacesof pan flanges 3. The entire clip struotureisoomposed-Iof a. heat conducting resilient metal" and iaso formed that the hook-like portion must besnappedupon the pipe and the legs must be-forced apart toinsert the pan flanges, whereby intimate engagement of the clip with the pipeand flanges under constant spring pressure is provided.

If the suspended ceiling is-toserve as an acoustical treatment forthe room,- as well asameans for heating the same, sound absorbing pads ll are placed in pans! upon spacing: members. 16. These pads also serve as heat'insulation-to minimize the dissipation oQ-heatfrom' pans: l to the ceiling structure ll above. If theceiling structure isnot intended tofunotlon man-acoustical treatment, some form of thermal: insulation should nevertheless ordinarily be used tocover the upper surface of thesuspended ceiling.

To assemble the suspended ceiling, pipes Sand headers l0 areflrst installed-and proper-connections made. The spacing-of the pipes-will correspond to the dimensions ofthe pans. After the pipes-have been installed; thespeoers Is and pads blies may then be snapped into position by means of the clips which had previously been hung or snapped upon the pipes. Any suitable length of clip may be employed, the preferred length being slightly less than the length of the flange of the pan which the clip is intended to engage. Clip length is determined lar ely as a matter of convenience, the minimum length being that which is adequate to conduct heat at a satisfactory rate from the pipe to the pan. Two or more clips may be used for a single length of flange, or a single long clip may be used for two or more pans. However, if the suspended ceiling is to be used for air distribution, the lengths of the clips must be given additional consideration because of the gaps that would be left for the passage of air when less than full length clips are used.

When the pans are in place, they are securely held by the clips Whichyieldingly clamp the pipes andpan flanges. Grooves. H5. in. the legs of the clips. engage heads 5. of the flanges for the positive support ofthe pans. without complete reliance upon frictional engagement of the clip with; the flange surfaces. In addition, grooves L5 and beads 5 cooperate to properly position the pans in the ceiling surface so that the latter will be even. As stated above, the engaging surfaces of clips, pipes, and flanges conform asclosely asp sible to facilitate the transfer of heat from the pipes, through the clips, to the flanges and thence to the radiating broad faces 2 of the pans. Both surfaces of each flange are in engagement with elements ofthe heatsconducting clip and. an efflcient transfer of heat results. In addition, tongues I5, sandwiched between the flanges, space the pans apart so that the ceiling will have a uniform appearance, the height of dimplcsfl being approximately the same as the thickness. of tongues 15.

It will be understood that the structure described may be used as only a panel heating system, as a combined panel heating and sound absorbing apparatus, as a combined. panel. heating and air distributing ceiling, or as a combined panel heating, sound absorbing, and air distributing system. In those installations where the suspended ceiling isto beused for the purpose of distributing ventilating air into the space below the ceiling, the air is introduced into the space between the suspended ceiling structureand the slab or primary ceiling l I by means of suitable blowers-and ducts, not shown. Flow of air from this space through the suspended ceiling. struc ture is restrictedrto the passageways between adjoining pans.

Although thestructure with which theinvention is concerned isherein and commonly re ferred'to as-a suspended ceiling, it will be understood that it maybe erected independentlyof any principal or other ceiling structure. Also, it should be pointedout that the clips, as well as the pans, hereind'escribed may be somewhatialtered inform without departing from the inventive concept. For-example, a suitable offset may be provided in the rounded" upper portionof the clip, near the juncture with the tongue, and the legs maybe carriediup beyond this juncture and welded to the upper portion of the clip. In this way, the overall length of the lower part of the clip may be somewhat. reduced.

Invention isclaimed as follows:

1. Anelongated ceiling suspension clip composed of resilient heat-conductive material and having: a median portion extending throughout I! may be placed in the pans and the pan assemthe length of said clip and dividing said clip into upper and lower portions, the upper portion comprising resilient clamping means of sheet material having a continuous surface elongated in the direction of the length of the clip and adapted to engage a pipe under constant spring tension, the lower portion comprising a pair of spaced, generally-parallel resilient legs of sheet material elongated in the direction of the length of the clip depending from said median portion of said clip, and a tongue also depending from said median portion and disposed between said legs in spaced, substantially-parallel relation thereto, said tongue being an integral extension of the upper portion of the clip, said lower portion having continuous contact surfaces extend ing in a straight line throughout the length of said clip.

2. In a combined panel-type heating and airdistributing ceiling structure, a plurality of flanged rectangular pans arranged in a plane to form a ceiling, at least one flange of each pan being outwardly dimpled and the pans being so oriented that the dimples of each pan engage a flange of an adjoining pan to thereby positively space said adjoining pans apart, a plurality of spaced parallel pipes arranged in a plane above said pans, and clips of sheet material engaging flanges adjacent said dimpled flanges and said pipes to support said pans and thermally connect the same with said pipes, each said clip comprising an upper portion hooked over and resiliently clamping a pipe and a lower portion comprising a pair of spring legs clamping adjacent flanges under constant spring pressure and a tongue extending between said spring legs and said adjacent flanges to positively space said {adjacent flanges apart.

ALBERT T. JORN. ALBERT JORN, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nu1r iber Name Date 369,663 Swaney Sept. 6, 1887 1,221,941 Witty et a1. Apr. 10, 1917 1,726,500 Norris Aug. 27, 1929 1,738,469 Weiss Dec. 3, 1929 2,172,771 Norris Sept. 12, 1939 2,221,001 Lucius Nov. 12, 1940 2,278,258 Gillett Mar. 31, 1942 2,304,480 Schramm Dec. 8, 1942 2,328,757 Tinnerman Sept. 7, 1943 2,382,340 Smith Aug. 14, 1945 2,463,046 Naysmith May 1, 1949 2,490,663 Van Uum et a1 Dec. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 165,106 Switzerland Nov. 15, 1933 241,602 Switzerland Mar. 31, 1946 347,536 Italy Apr. 12, 1937 

